Adventure Time: Meltdown
by Commander M2
Summary: Based on Snowflakes-owl's "Meltdown AU". What if Betty didn't go to the future and remain on Earth. 4 years later, Betty had survived the war and found Simon and Marcy in the wreckage? This story looks into what might have happened in the alternative timeline where Betty survives the war and reunite with Simon and adopt Marceline as their own daughter.
1. Simon and Marcy in the camp

**Chapter 1: Simon and Marcy in the camp  
**

It was cold, and frightening… the street was empty, as expected. She walked to the direction she was told she could find him. "The archaeologist that carried around a golden crown" is how the survivors in the area described him and that was enough information for her to go out and try to find him. She knew that it was baseless faith that she could by chance find him, the plague was killing and mutating the humans beyond recognition, but she didn't care anymore, the woman couldn't think of anything else than to see her loved one… once more.

Simon woke up and put on his glasses, he looked behind to check on little Marcy, the toddler was sleeping peacefully besides him, there she was hugging her plush doll Hambo and sucking her thumb. Simon smiled at the little girl, and he felt his hand on her forehead "She's warm, good" he said very relieved. Simon stood up and walked for his backpack; the man kneeled and opened the bag. He grabbed the frying pan, some cans and other cooking instruments, the sound of the metal pan and other objects tinkering woke up Marceline, the toddler crawled towards Simon and she pulled his waistcoat, the man felt the little girl pull his shirt a bit.

Simon turned around and smiled "Good morning Marcy, are you hungry?"

The girl smiled gleefully "Yes, what you gonna do for breakfast?"

"I got some tuna and some beans"

"Not tuna again" the little girl pouted.

Simon frowned slightly "I'm sorry Marceline, that's all I could get"

"I know, but why must these people be so mean? They never let us get tasty food"

"They are hungry too, Marcy" replied Simon while he prepared the wood to make fire.

"Yeah, but they never let us any… can't you freeze their feet or something?" she asked.

Simon frowned "Marcy, that's not how one should act, violence isn't the way, you know"

"Sorry, I just really want to eat something tasty again"

Simon nodded "Me too" he then made the fire and placed the frying pan, for it to gain warmth.

The man reopened his bag and got out a can opener "Marcy, can you pass me the cans?"

Marceline ran for the cans "Here, Simon"

"Thank you, sweetie" he said.

Simon opened the cans and poured the beans and tuna in the frying pan, he cooked them well and he then remembered something "Marcy, you have to brush your teeth, remember?"

"I don't like brushing my teeth, it hurts"

Simon chuckled "If you don't brush your teeth, I might have to brush them for you"

"No! no! It hurts my teeth when you brush them, you make my mouth bleed!"

The man replied "That's because you never clean them, and when you brush them well, you'd bleed a bit"

The toddler pouted and ran to their tent and covered herself with a sheet, Simon rolled his eyes "children and their tantrums" he sighed.

Simon finished cooking their meal, and he again raked his backpack. Simon grabbed two toothbrushes and he began to tease Marceline and her appetite "Marcy, I got us some dessert"

"Huh? You said dessert? Like strawberry cake?"

The man shouted yet again "Yes, but it's a pity you won't get any"

Marceline uncovered herself from the sheets "Why are you saying that?"

"If you don't brush your teeth you aren't getting any"

Marcy hid under the covers again "That's a dirty trick!"

Simon pouted.

"I like dirty tricks" said the girl.

The antiquarian smiled "You know the deal" he handed the toothbrush to the girl.

Marceline grabbed it and looked at her caretaker with contempt; Simon simply smiled, trying his best to not burst in laughter.

After their meal, Simon and Marceline sat down to enjoy a story he had been writing based on their experiences in the wreckage.

"And they ate beans, the end" said Simon in a chuckle.

"Just like us!" said Marcy as she hugged Hambo.

Simon sighed "Yeah, that's true" he said somewhat bitter yet happy, he felt odd.

She saw the camp, and walked closer.

Simon turned around to look at the woman; his eyes went wide of shock, their book fell on the grass.

"Simon, what's wrong?!" cried out Marcy.

"Is this the camp were Simon Petrikov has been staying? Are you a friend of Simon?"


	2. Reunited with Betty

**Chapter 2: Reunited with Betty  
**

"Betty" whispered Simon.

The woman walked towards him "Sorry I came here like this, it's just that I'm looking for Simon Petrikov"

"I… I don't think you should look anymore"

"Is he?… oh no" Betty's eyes dampened but she tried to hold her grief.

Simon felt a knot on his throat; he didn't know what to think. What the woman he had been looking for was right there, the woman he missed dearly. And now he knows she missed him too, but him… he looked so different she couldn't recognize him.

Simon stood there frozen, feeling afraid of telling her the truth _"Would she believe me? Does she even deserve to know about this?"_ he thought.

"Maybe I should leave, excuse me for the inconvenience sir" said the woman.

"Simon, what's wrong? Who's that lady?"

Betty turned her back and glanced at the older man and the little girl.

"Your name is Simon? Simon Petrikov? And is that what you carry a golden crown?"

"He is, and duh" replied Marceline.

Simon looked down and glared at the demon child "Marceline" he said with angry confusion.

The little girl pouted and hid behind the older man.

Her body was shivering, something was wrong… off. Betty took a big breath and began to express what she thought "I'm beginning to get confused! People say your name is Simon and you carry a crown! Your surname is Petrikov! I could just think this was a coincidence and leave, but you wanted me to stop looking for Simon Petrikov. What's going on here!?"

"Betty… I…" Simon froze, he couldn't finish that sentence, he couldn't tell her, and he didn't feel he could. Simon felt his eyes dampen.

"What did you do to him?! Where is Simon!?"

"I didn't do anything, I'm fine… fine" he said in a sob.

Betty covered her mouth in horror, he muffled voice yelled "No, it can't be… what are you trying to say?"

"It's me, Simon… and you are my princess" he said as a tear traveled down his cheek.

Betty fell onto her knees and broke in tears; Simon walked towards the redhead and kneeled to look at her. "You know it's me"

She stared at his face "What happened to you?" she asked with tears.

He tried to hold his own tears and tried to clear his throat, trying his best to not burst in tears himself "The crown I wear at my belt, it cursed me, that's why I don't look like I used to and it-"

"The crown is what made you do those horrible things?" she interrupted him.

Simon nodded with grief.

She tried to stand up; Simon noticed and held her hand to help Betty stand up. The woman shivered when she felt the cold of Simon's hand on her wrist. "Are you alright?" he asked.

The redhead nodded, but Simon knew his cold was making Betty uncomfortable, so he let go of her wrist.

"Simon, this is too much to process"

"I know, I felt the same when this started"

Marceline then walked and stood in between them "Simon, who is this lady? Is she your princess?"

"Yes, I'm her princess"

Marcy smiled to her "Simon told me he missed you a lot, I'm glad you found him"

"Really? He told you that?"

"I did, Marcy is the only company I've had since this all started-"Marcy interrupted Simon with a hug "She needs me"

Betty stared at the little, girl whom clung to her fiancé's leg "Is she lost? Where are her parents, Simon?"

"Maybe we should talk about this later"

Betty nodded.

The antiquarian played with the little girl and Betty just watched them and thought "Simon is really good with kids, maybe… maybe he could have been a good dad, wait… no, he really is a good dad"

The little girl ran from the antiquarian in their game of tag, she ran around the camp with Simon trying to catch her… but she suddenly stopped; Marcy rubbed her eyes and yawned. Simon carried her and asked "Are you tired, Marcy?"

"I think so"

"Let me tuck you into bed" he said.

Simon placed the girl in the sheets and handed the plush doll she always carried, he gently caressed her head and told her "Sleep well"

"Thank you, Simon" replied the toddler.

Simon stood up and walked towards Betty.

"You are really good with kids, you know?"

"Uh, you think so?"

Betty nodded.

The archaeologist scratched his head a bit and swung his feet nervously "Betty… I think we have to talk about all this"

Betty's eyes went wide and she muttered nervously "You think this is the right place?"

"Marceline is asleep…"

"Yes, but what if she wakes up? I'd rather not upset her with our problems"

"You are right, Betty"

Simon invited her with a smile "How about we take a walk to the woods?"

Betty held his hand "That would be nice"

Simon bit his lip and replied "I guess so"

Both of them took a walk to the woods, the area was intact from the war. It seemed to be the remains of the local park, but the plant life overgrew the place.

"Simon?"

"Yes, Betty?"

She smiled nervously "Now that we are here, you should tell me… everything"

"I definitely should, I'm just not sure how to explain all this" he said with a worried tone.

Betty shook her head "You don't need to be sure, just tell me"

He took a big breath and began to explain "The crown in my belt, it's cursed"

Betty nodded.

"It made my appearance, my whole body change into what you see… the crown grants me control over ice and snow"

"You can create ice?"

"Yes, it's powerful magic… but the crown, it talks to me"

"What? It talks to you?!" she said beginning to feel scared.

Simon felt a knot on his throat; he then gulped as he tried to figure out how to explain that to Betty.

"It offers me the power, it's true… I swear"

Betty felt she had to ask "I believe you, but why don't you get rid of the crown?"

"I've tried so many times, but it keeps coming back to me"

"What?!"

"I tried abandoning it! I buried it in a deserted route, but as soon I as I came back home, the crown was there"

"Good Lord!" she gasped. "Did you try destroying it?"

"Oh God, I did"

"What did you try?"

"I tried running over the crown with the car"

Betty covered her mouth in horror.

"I don't know what do"

"Simon, I'm sorry"

"About what?" he asked.

Betty nervously bit her lip, and took a big breath "Leaving you… when you needed me the most"

Simon stepped closer to her "No, Betty… It's OK"

"No… it's not OK, I left you alone with this!" she said with teary eyes.

Betty suddenly wrapped her arms around him. Simon was surprised by this, but at the same time he wanted to break the hug "No, Betty… don't"

"Why not?"

"I'm cold"

"I don't care" she said as she wrapped her arms tightly around him.

Simon felt her warmth and her soft hair, pressing against him. He couldn't help but to hug her back.

"Betty, I really missed you"

Betty felt his cold breath, his entire body was cold. Betty let go of him and stared at him directly into his eyes. Even though their color had changed from hazel to light blue, almost white, she could still tell they were his eyes. Simon blushed slightly; his fiancé's hand was traveling his face and her fingers played with his hair.

"No, Betty… I don't want you to touch this face"

"Don't say that" she said, and then again embraced him.

Simon returned the hug. Suddenly the redhead rushed to pull his collar to have his face closer to her."Betty!" he cried out.

Her lips met with his, felt the warmth travel his face and made his chest feel like it was empty but it was getting filled, somehow. He returned the kiss, very passionately.

He embraced Betty tighter and began to caress her back, but then a reminder of what he was came.

Simon broke the kiss and stepped behind. "No Betty, I can't"


	3. Simon and Betty

**Chapter 3: Simon and Betty**

Simon had stepped back and simply told her "No, Betty. I can't."

Betty shook her head, and hugged him. "Don't worry"

"I'm sorry Betty… I can't even touch you without making you feel uncomfortable, my cold… it's… it makes you-"

"No, I'll make you warm"

"How?"

Her lips and his met, Simon felt her warmth lips, he couldn't help but to kiss her back. He missed her so much, Simon thought he would never see Betty again. But there she was, she loved him as much as he loved her. It was true, it had to be.

To think that Betty would be willing to kiss an old man with white eyes, frostbitten skin and big nose, but it was because that man was him.

Betty's hands began to travel underneath his shirt, massaging her loved one's back. She knew he was cold, but she still felt she had to caress him. That's when she untucked his shirt, and began to feel lower.

Simon blushed when she realized Betty was unbuckling his belt. He broke their kiss with a soft gasp.

"Betty, what are you doing?" he asked bashfully.

Betty simply responded to that question by unbuttoning his waistcoat, then unbuttoned Simon's shirt a bit and she pressed her face against his cold chest.

Simon shivered a bit at her touch "Betty, are you sure of this? I don't think its a good idea… what if…?"

"Good idea? you are enjoying this"

"Yes… but, what if I hurt you?"

Betty smiled at him "everything will be fine" she pinched his cheek underneath his beard "I promise, Simon."

"What if it's not like that? what if it goes wrong? Betty, my princess. I love you and I don't want to put you in danger"

Betty looked at him directly into his eyes "I love you too, Simon."

"Oh, Betty" he sobbed.

She embraced him, her warmth was overwhelming, he loved it. He missed it dearly, feeling warm. The feeling everything was fine, Simon tried to pretend everything was fine, but it wasn't. He always remembered his own lie, but now he could forget everything was ruined.

Betty missed his old self, of course. But she loved Simon, not the body. She was willing to get close to this cold man. The man she loves was turned into this by the crown. She did not care, all Betty wanted was to make Simon feel better. Betty couldn't imagine the amount of pain Simon had been going through, ever since that day.

"Betty…" he sobbed.

Betty felt a knot on her throat, an empty hole in her chest… she could feel his pain. Poor man… this curse, he had no true malice. Why did he deserve this? why was destiny so cruel to Simon Petrikov?

Simon hugged her tightly and broke in tears…

Betty felt terrible, the pain, the sadness her loved one was feeling. If he was feeling like that, despite reuniting with her… how did he felt when he was alone?

The mere thought made her eyes dampen.

"Oh Simon, I'm sorry… I'm sorry."


	4. Alone in the Forrest

**Chapter 4: Alone in the Forrest  
**

His tears were cold, she could feel them on her arms, Simon cried there hugging her tightly with his cheek pressed against her chest.

Betty simply ran her fingers on his hair, attempting to make him feel better, but no avail. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Simon was depressed, it was clear to her now, it made her however question how he was able to keep this sadness bottled up.  
"It was for that little girl's sake, wasn't it?" Betty asked.

Simon tried clearing his throat "Yes, I couldn't let her see me like… this, there's so much she can stand."

"That's true, you know?"  
"Hmmm?"  
"I find it impressive, that you tried to remain optimistic for her." she muttered as she massaged his scalp.  
"Thanks."

Betty responded by hugging back, now on eye to eye level. She wiped his tears with her hand, Simon was less cold now, but his skin still burnt hers with its low temperature.

"Feel better?" Betty wondered.

Simon nodded softly with an unsure look on his face "Sorry about that…"

Betty shook her head "No, Simon. Maybe this isn't the time for that, I'm the one who owes an apology here."

"Princess…" He sighed.

"I shouldn't have ever left, I was scared, yes, but that didn't make it right."

The frozen man placed his hands on her shoulders. "Betty, you are back and that's what matters, I thought you didn't love me anymore and-" she interrupted him with quickly planting a peck kiss on his lips.  
"You thought wrong…"  
Simon smiled with his eyes growing watery "Oh, princess. I love you, too."

"My hero." she whispered as her arms wrapped around him, Simon could feel Betty's hands on his back, caressing him.

Their hearts felt content, culminating into one, the soul touch.

Simon and Betty stared onto each other's eyes, she smiled and kissed his forehead, not before moving his hair aside so she could get a better view.

Their legs entwined, their skin pressing one another's. She could feel the cold of his skin clash against her warmth, it was uncomfortable to feel this frost… yet it felt so right.

Simon was overwhelmed by the warm touch of Betty, he tried to make sure his cold wouldn't be unbearable, but kept feeling his efforts were futile.

"I don't mind, Simon."

"Are you sure?"

Betty nodded happily to him, and wrapped her arms around his back. Simon smiled to the princess that was below him, and he reached her face… just to kiss her cheek.

Soon after, it was over.

Simon found himself resting his head on Betty's abdomen, she played with his silver white hair, complimenting it at any chance she had.

The ice wizard had his eyes half open, trying to process the connection they had just shared.

"Is this real?" he asked.

Betty stroked his chin and she felt answering his silly question "Simon… just because it was great doesn't make it any less real." she giggled.

Simon blushed slightly, he scratched his belly and looked up to Betty.

"Betty?"

"Hmmm?"

"Did you… find me disgusting?" he asked very shy.

Betty lifted herself a bit, and offered a hug to Simon.

"I'd never find you disgusting, Simon."

Simon shared an embrace with her, feeling her warmth once more.

"But, Betty… I look so different"

Betty broke the hug and distanced a bit from her fiance "Yes, that might be true, but… you are still Simon, and that's what matters."

"I guess that's true, but-" "You have the same eyes" Betty interrupted him, and began to caress his face.

"You also have the same lips" she said before planting a quick peck kiss on his lips.

Simon smiled at her, she then began caressing his shoulders.

"The same strong shoulders" she complimented.

He blushed "You are making me blush"

"And the same cute butt!" she giggled

"Betty! You naughty princess!"

"Yes, I've been naughty, are you going to ground me?" Betty asked.

Simon pondered over it for a short time. "Yes, and your punishment is… I'm going smother you with kisses!"

He jumps on top of her, playfully kissing her in the face all over.

"Simon, don't be so silly." she giggled.

"Alright Princess, that was enough punishment, I guess." said Simon in laughter.

"I guess, but let me return the favor" said Betty as she raised herself from the ground and kissed Simon's forehead.

Simon smiled and kissed her forehead back. Both of them rested on the grass and snuggled down together. Comfortably Simon wrapped his arms around her, hoping to feel her soft skin pressed against his. He smiled delightfully at the feeling of Betty's hair on his shoulders.

It relaxed him so much to be with her like this, was it a dream? it was too good to be true. Betty closed her eyes almost about to fall asleep on his arms. Simon almost did so, but then… he felt something strange.

He felt Betty's goosebumps, on her skin… it only meant one thing. He was cold again.

Simon quickly let go of her and lifted himself, worried about his princess.

Betty sat down her knees and proceeded to ask "Is there something wrong?"

Simon nodded "I'm cold… that's what's wrong." he said in the verge of tears.


	5. Marceline Petrikov

**Chapter 5: Marceline Petrikov**

Betty leaned on his shoulder and smiled to him nervously "See? I don't mind, really."

He tried to calm down upon the sight of his princess's efforts to cheer him up; he tried to smile back and dried his dampened eyes. "Betty… I'm just afraid I could hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me" she gave him a tiny peck on the lips "Feel better, Simon?" she asked.

He looked back at her and nodded "Yeah, I feel less awful… I guess"

"Good" she replied.

Simon let himself hug Betty; he felt her chest pressed on his face. He simply closed his eyes and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

Betty stroked his head and played with his hair "See, it's all OK" Simon muttered "It is… for once"

The redhead sighed happily "You know? I'm glad we found each other again.

"Me too, I really missed you, Betty" he said while Betty stroked his scalp, it soothed him to feel her fingertips run through his hair, it was new. Never before he found Betty's playing with his hair…so relaxing.

"Hmmm, I like how it feels when you run your fingers on my hair"

"Yeah? I didn't know… I might as well do it more often" she laughed softly.

Simon chuckled "Yes, please"

Betty noticed then that it was getting too dark, and looked down to see her Simon all tired and almost asleep. "Sweetie?" Simon opened his eyes at her call "Yeah?"

"Maybe we should go back, it's getting late… and Marcy-" "Oh bread balls! I forgot about Marcy!" he cried out in fear.

Betty moved aside from her scared and nervous wreck of a fiancé. He quickly lifted himself from the ground and grabbed their clothes. He ran towards Betty, who was still sitting on the grass. Simon rapidly handed Betty her clothes "Take, we need to dress now"

"What's the problem, Simon?"

"Marcy… well, who knows if she's OK, we stayed here for maybe too long"

Betty rose an eyebrow "Simon, we only were here for about an hour"

The antiquarian turned around "But she could be not safe, and all that, Oh mother!"

Betty said to Simon. "Mister, you need to calm down a bit, we'll get dressed and go see if Marcy is OK"

The man pouted "OK, fine… maybe I am overreacting"

"Maybe, but leaving that behind… you need to relax a bit" replied Betty while she pinched his cheek which was covered by a curtain of white hair.

Simon nodded and simply buttoned up his shirt, and Betty pulled up her jeans.

Eventually both were dressed and ready to go back to the camp. While walking Betty leaned on his shoulder, Simon tried to discourage her, but part of him didn't want to. Both Simon and Betty held hands right after, and smiled to one another.

* * *

After some time, the couple had arrived to their little and humble camp, Simon walked towards his tent to open the little door.

Simon looked inside only to his surprise and anger, Marcy was asleep atop his journal and she had been scribbling in it with his blue and green pens.

Betty giggled upon sight of the girl's misdoing.

"Ma-Marcy" he said between shivers.

The small toddler opened her eyes at the sound of his voice, she looked up to him still not moving from atop his journal. She frowned half sleepily and yawned before she would speak any words.

Simon raised his voice "What did you do to my journal, Marceline?!"

Marcy turned around to ignore him, and that was when Simon understood. His expression softened slightly from anger to more concern.

"Was it because I left alone for a bit, isn't it?"

The girl nodded from behind and then turned around, she crawled to his legs, and hugged one. "When I woke up, I thought you ran away with your princess, to be all kissy and lovely dovey"

Betty coughed awkwardly and tried her best to not appear visibly embarrassed, however her fiance wasn't as good as that.

Simon's face went red like a tomato "Well… about that, it's not like I wanted to leave you alone forever, is it? Marcy, darling… I'd never leave my little baby girl alone forever"

"You mean it?"

Simon nodded softly with an awkward smile "I mean it" he tried to keep some composure and still be a good parent "Marcy, scribbling on people's belongings without permission… is wrong, OK?"

"OK"

Betty smiled from seeing the two being so lovely "Aaaw, Simon, you really are a nice dad, look how the precious lil girl is smiling"

Simon knelt to hold Marcy on his arms "Hahah, well… thank you Betty." he chuckled.

The toddlers clang on his shirt, and pressed her face on Simon's chest. "Oh, darling I need you to wait with Betty for a bit, I have to make beds for all of us" he said as he pulled the unwilling child from him, and he handed Marcy to Betty "Be nice to Marcy, princess. BRB"

Betty looked into Marcy's big bright green eyes "You are very adorable, you know that?"

Marcy pouted "I'm not adorable, I'm super strong"

The red head smiled "And how about a super strong cutie?"

"Much better" she snickered.

* * *

Meanwhile Simon tried to break in on one of the abandoned apartments "Well, there has to be some bed sheets in there, can't let Betty sleep on solid ground, she's a fine lady after all" he muttered to himself.

And to keep the lack of sound bother him, Simon began to whistle. He enjoyed the rhythm of his little song and grabbed a big chunk of pavement to throw it in the window.

The glass shattered and Simon simply got into the building; he entered to one of the rooms of the first level apartment, and found some good supplies.

"Hah, a brand new notebook! I guess Marcy ruining my journal isn't a big deal anymore, um… let's see what else we've got in here"

Simon realized the room he had entered used to belong to a little girl, he sighed of sadness "Poor little girl… well, maybe here there's something that could make Marcy happy…"

He opened a few drawers, and he got for Marcy some hair pins, a hair brush and a coloring book accompanied by a box of almost new crayons.

"Simon, stealing is wrong, but then again… we could give some use to this stuff instead of letting it here to rot…" he sighed trying to convince himself he wasn't committing vandalism.

"And finally, the bed sheets and covers I think I need for my girls" he remarked "God, why do I keep talking to myself?"

Simon unfolded a couple of sheets and covers, he later bent them so they could fit on his backpack.

"I guess this is all, for now… at least what is necessary for the situation and… some fun stuff for Marcy…yeah" he thought.

Simon walked back to his family's location, happy and with a big grin, feeling that for once…he could sleep in peace, because the best people in his life were with him, safe.

* * *

Once he arrived on their camp, Simon entered their little tent and noticed Betty was half asleep with the toddler resting on her arms. Simon's smile grew into a gentle grin "Betty…I'm here, and brought some cool stuff for Marcy"

"Oh, Simon… you are back"

"Uh huh" he replied and took off his backpack "Look the stuff I got for us, a couple of bed sheets and covers, a coloring book and crayons for Marcy"

"Oooh, thank you, Simon" said Betty as she leaned closer to him and gave him a little kiss on his cheek.

"I… I brought a hair brush, heh"

Betty giggled "That's a relief, Mister. You could use some brushing on that tangled hair"

The man giggled back and simply gave his princess a small kiss on her forehead "You know? You hair could use some work, too… Princess"

"Oh you… hahahaha"

Simon and Betty prepared the sheets and covers to form a better place to sleep. And when they did, Betty and Simon lay close to each other, with little Marcy in the middle.

They slept snuggled together that night.

* * *

 **That's right! Commentors and Reviewers. This chapter is called "Marceline Petrikov" because Marceline is adopted by the Simon Petrikov and Betty Grof after her mother mysteriously disappeared. Also, you should either go to "Peter Petrikov tumblr" or "Deviantart Snowflakes-Owl Meltdown" to prove that this fanfic exist. And finally, I demand a shipping/pairing fanart and fanfic about "Peter Petrikov x Marceline Abadeer" and** ** **shipping/pairing fanart and fanfic** about "Peter Petrikov x Patience St. Pim". **

**Please Review.**


	6. Family in the Wreckage

**Chapter 6: Family in the Wreckage**

The sun peeked through the tent flaps.

Simon groaned and hid his head under the pillow. Betty pulled the covers over her head. Marceline, however, wriggled out of her sleeping bag and jumped over both adults, flinging the flaps open.

"Marcy", Simon groaned.

Marcy jumped to him, pouting. "Come on, Simon!"

Betty peeked out from under the covers. "Sweetie, he's tired from yesterday. Remember how he made us these comfy beds?"

"But what about breakfast?" Marcy asked while she played with her bare feet.

Simon sat up, rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Marcy, you're right! Family breakfast is a must! Just let me find my glasses, OK?"

"Yup!" Marcy said.

Betty poked his shoulder and held out his glasses. "Here they are, darling."

Simon grinned and snatched the glasses playfully from Betty's hand.

-"Hey Betty, I can actually see your face now!"

He then stood up to stretch his back. The sound it made when it cracked caused Betty flinch.

"Bangtails!"

Betty frowned. "Are you OK, Simon?"

Simon smiled awkwardly. "No worries, Betty. I'm just old as garlic balls"

"My 40-some-odd girlfriends would've smacked you for that." said Betty with a smirk.

Marcy jumped around the tent, chuckling. "I think that's old, cause he's older than me".

The two laughed at Marcy's remark.

Simon stood up and offered his hand to Betty "We should get ready and look for something we can stomach".

The redhead nodded with a sweet smile, accepting his hand; Little Marceline ran ahead of both of them.

Betty looked up to her fiancé "Um, sweetie… Simon, darling…?"

"Yes, princess?".

"Exactly how are we going to make breakfast without food?"

"Just leave that to us".

Betty raised her brow. "What are you going to do, mister?

Simon grinned. "I won't be doing anything. Marcy's got it covered."

Little Marceline merged from the bushes to reveal a large rabbit in the grip of her sharp baby fangs.

"I caught this!" She exclaimed with pride.

Betty was speechless. Simon reacted to her stunned expression with a playful smile

"Told you she had it covered."

"E-exactly what sort of child is she again?"

Simon, unsure of how to respond, fiddled with his hair.

"Marcy's not…entirely human."

"I think her hunting skills confirm that, Simon."

When Simon noticed that Marcy wasn't within earshot, he took a breath and said:

"Okay, might as well say it: Marcy is a half-demon." Upon noticing Betty's face of shock, he placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a reassuring look. "Don't freak out or anything, please. She's a really good girl, I swear."

"I know, but… hearing that the kid you're raising is half-demon isn't the easiest thing to swallow."

"Her baby face hides it good."

Betty smiled awkwardly at her fiancé. The situation was strange and hard to understand, and Simon knew that.

"Betty, I need to uh, you know…" He began to back away from her, only to take off sprinting.

"You didn't need to tell the teacher!" She called out after him. "You're a big boy!"

She couldn't help but believe that maybe Simon was biased about Marcy's innocence, and that the child indeed had a truly threatening, demonic side to her. She had to make sure the child was just as harmless as Simon claimed her to be. The woman felt guilty for doubting a small child, but her doubt and paranoia remained strong.

Betty saw Marcy sitting down while brushing her messy hair with the hairbrush Simon brought them last night. In that moment, as opposed to the little girl who rushed up to Betty with a dead rabbit in her mouth, she looked so tiny, so adorable. Simon was right; aside from some odd features, Marcy resembled a normal toddler. Betty approached the child with small steps.

"Oh, hi Betty," said Marcy, looking up.

"Hello, Marcy." Betty gestured to the hairbrush. "I couldn't help but notice you were trying to fix your hair. Let me help."

Marcy paused for a moment, and then placed the brush in the woman's hand.

"OK!" Marcy replied cheerfully.

Betty brushed the toddler's hair carefully, trying to undo the knots in her dark locks. She didn't want to cause Marcy any discomfort, but some of the knots were too tight, and to undo them, Betty had to pull the child's hair with the brush. Marceline couldn't help but groan and whimper from the pain.

"Ouch!"

Betty frowned and caressed the half-demon's scalp to ease the pain and itch. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pull so hard that knot."

"Oh, well my hair is pretty bad. But at least you're making it better."

She smiled softly and kept on brushing the locks, one by one. "Marcy, I've been curious to know: how did you get these cute, pointy ears? And the teeth?"

Marcy blinked and pressed her hand to her chin. "I have ears like daddy; mommy says it's because she and daddy made me together, so I look like both. I'm half-demon! My dad is the lord of evil; his job is to be the leader of the Nightosphere! The people there are funny looking 'cause they are demons too!" Marcy smiled. "But daddy looks more like people than them."

Betty kept brushing Marceline's hair, the knots almost all undone. "And what looks did you get from mommy?"

Marcy played with her tiny fingers and stared at the sky. "My eyes are like mommy's, but my eyes' color is more like daddy's. Mommy loves me a lot, and she liked to buy me dresses. Sometimes we had fun like playing with nail polish, make up and dressing up. My feet are so small, and walking in mom's heels was hard."

She giggled at the thought of Marcy dressed in nothing but baby training diapers and trying on her mother's jewelry, accessories and high heels. Betty smiled warmly at such a cute and innocent idea.

"Marcy, so is it just you and Simon?"

The toddler chuckled. "Yeah. He found me when I was looking for mommy. I was sad, but he gave me Hambo!" She lifted doll.

"That is one cute plushie," Betty replied, "his long legs, so adorable!"

"Hambo says thanks" Marcy said.

Betty smiled warmly yet again, and with one careful stroke of the brush, she undid the last knot in the toddler's ivory hair. "I think we're all done. Just look at you, precious. You've got really pretty hair, so dark and shiny"

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was wondering… did Simon ever brush your hair?"

Marcy smiled softly, and answered back: "He did, and nicely. Simon always takes good care of me; he's so nice"

"He is," said Betty with an amorous sigh.

Marcy laughed. "You like him a lot, don't you?"

She blushed at the toddler's question. "Well, of course! Simon is my fiancé!"

"Fianc-y?"

Betty chuckled. "It's pronounced fee-ahn-SAY, and it means Simon promised he will marry me."

The tiny toddler smiled. "So you are gonna marry Simon? Yay!"

"We'll work it out, sweetie," answered Simon.

Betty giggled. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know you were talking about me, Princess," he chuckled.

"It's rude to eavesdrop." Simon responded to her quip by playfully smothering her forehead with kisses.

Marcy smiled, happy to see people sharing that sort of affection.

"So, are you two going to be my new mommy and daddy?" she asked innocently.

Simon and Betty blushed and then turned to Marcy. Simon then shrugged

"Why not? I guess it's not to late at this stage in the game."

"Can I be the daughter, please?"

Betty kneeled beside Marcy and pinched the toddler's cheek. "Sure, you precious baby"

Simon nodded approvingly and patted Betty's shoulder. "We should get this dead wabbit stew done, I'm sure everyone's got the hungies right now" he chuckled.

Betty nodded.

Marcy ran off to retrieve her kill. When she brought it to Simon, he was busy preparing wood for the bonfire. Simon leaned and clashed the rocks he used for the fire, and though his efforts at first seemed fruitless, in time, the fire had just started, a tiny little flame settled on the wood.

The archeology professor smiled and licked his lips, savoring the idea of eating roasted rabbit and sparrow eggs. Not only did the thought of food made him happy, but also the thought of having something akin to a family meal made him feel at ease.

Simon withdrew a knife from his backpack and skinned the rabbit. Betty broke the eggs Simon had gathered and watched as they splattered across the heated frying pan.

"I wonder how non-chicken eggs taste," Betty mused.

He chuckled. "Less chicken-y."

Marcy laughed besides him "Simon is so silly."

He sighed as he tied the rabbit onto a stick and placed it on top of the bonfire.

Marcy looked at the grass she sat on. "Hey, Simon?"

Simon turned to her. "Yes, darling?"

"Can I go play in the grass? Like roll on it and stuff?"

He nodded. "Sure, baby princess."

"Woooo!"

The small half demon ran close to their tent and rolled in the grass. Meanwhile her new parents stared at her, smiling.

"You asked her quite a lot about her family, didn't you?"

Betty's eyes went wide. "I didn't. What makes you think that?"

"C'mon! I know you well, Betty. You are never sure of something until you see it yourself. I bet you wanted to be sure I wasn't exaggerating about Marcy being harmless and… not little miss Satan."

"You caught me. And yes, she is adorable"

Betty grabbed Simon's arm lightly and kissed his cheek "I think you need a bit of rest, let me hold the roasting rabbit for a bit, honey."

He smiled completely enamored, his eyes shiny and full of life. "Aw, thank you princess. You're WAY too kind to an old frosty hobo like me."

"Because you,sir, are MY frosty hobo."


	7. Oozers, The Crown and Simon's Child

**Sorry for not updating this 2 days ago because I got bored. Anyway here is Chapter 7 of Meltdown. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Oozers, Crown's Evil Effect and Simon's child**

In some ways, the days seemed warmer than before.

In the middle of a radioactive fallout, he never expected to find a little girl alone or simply alive. Even worst, in his journey with no apparent return towards dreams of madness and freezing reigns, he never would have expected or wanted to take care of that girl. Still, he could feel a calling to do so, something he couldn't understand but struggled to deny. He took care of Marceline through the dangers of the wasteland and it helped them both: Marceline had found someone who cared about her and protected her; and Simon had found a reason to not let himself be consumed so easily by The Crown, the little girl reminded him of his own humanity. Betty always said his heart was too big for a skinny guy like him.

But The Crown wasn't something to play with and, as the days progressed and more dangerous threats appeared along the way, forcing him to use the crown for their own protection in multiple times, the cursed magic object had more control over his mind. And then, the thing that Simon desired but also feared the most happened: he found Betty, alive. Or rather, she found him. She reassured him that no harm was done to her or anyone else when he used The Crown for the first time and that relieved him, and made it easier for him to accept having her by his side once again. They stayed in Simon's house for a few weeks, which remained unharmed from the bombings, but they had to abandon it after an invasion of Oozers they couldn't handle. Together, the three of them wandered by the scorched land, trying to survive.

At some point after, they found other people living in colonies to protect themselves from the dangers of the new land: there were the Oozers (as Marceline called them) but also other people, with no so good intentions that only cared about their own survival. But there were also other threats beyond normal human comprehension, enemies of ancient times and magic ways that used to lurk in nightmares and that now lurked right behind the rests of humanity. Simon's group was gladly welcomed when he used The Crown to freeze and stop a giant horde of Oozers that would have destroyed the camp in just a few minutes.

It was at that moment when Betty saw the real power of The Crown for the first time and also the first "whole" possession of Simon. She was scared. Her eyes teared up at the vision of a mad old magician talking no-sense about ice and power, and she slapped him as hard as she could when he laughed frantically after he stated he didn't recognized her; that was enough to bring him back. That same night, they discussed about The Crown usage: it surely was useful, but the price was too high; if at any point Simon was completely possessed by it, he could destroy the camp, Betty could lose him again. They decided to keep the crown in a safe, protected by enchantments that Betty and Simon had learned from their investigation of magical and paranormal activity. Still, it was not enough to stop the Crown's influence on Simon: it would constantly whisper things into his mind to drive him crazy and, if he got too far away from The Crown, it would weaken him to the point of almost making it impossible for him to breath.

Betty decided to wander in the outskirts of the camp, guessing the limits of the Crown's influence. Simon, reluctant at the beginning but understanding of the importance of such task, accepted to be the guinea pig in such experiments. One day, Betty was putting little baby blue flags around the camp along with Simon. At some point, she noticed Simon had been standing several feet away from her, doing nothing, just staring at the landscape.

* * *

"Simon, what's wrong?" said Betty, approaching to her fiancé.

"Why Betty?" he replied with a distant look.

"There are a lot of answers for that given the current context" she said. "Do you want an explanation for this nuclear mess? Or for finding Marceline and this camp? Or-?"

"No, Betty! Shut up!" he exclaimed carelessly.

Betty backed up with a confused frown in her features. Was the crown whispering to him again? She stood firmly in front of Simon again and saw how his features softened, starting to regret what had just happened.

"I'm sorry Betty, but this is exactly what I'm talking about" he said, not daring to look at her eyes. "Why are you still with me? I'm such a mess. I hardly can control my own mind anymore!"

"I don't care about that" said Betty, crossing her arms and faintly smiling.

"And what about this face? Look at this horrendous beard. No! Don't look at it," he said, trying to cover his long beard with his arms. "How can you like me in this state? I'm not the Adonis I used to be and that you fell in love with."

Betty snorted. It was nice to see that some of his silly pride hadn't faded out. She got closer to Simon and retired his arms from his beard. She ran her fingers through his beard and then between his silver locks. She then tried to take Simon's face between her hands but she stopped her taking her hands away from him.

"Don't do that. My skin is cold." he said, softly as if he regretted such thing that wasn't his fault.

"I told you. I don't care," she said as she brought up her hands again and caressed his blue skin. "I will warm you up."

"Betty, I'm scared," he whispered. "I'm scared I'm gonna hurt you for real someday. And that I can hurt Marceline too. You two are the most important things in my life and I cannot protect you."

Betty chuckled. "You would be such a great parent."

Simon gasped gently and blushed, bringing a darker tone of blue into his cheeks. It didn't help that Betty leaned in and pressed her lips against his. She nibbled his lower lip as she let go and found him with his whole face covered in darker blue.

"I'm madly in love with you, Simon. I see beyond your beard and beyond your skin. I see what you have here," said Betty, putting her hand on his chest. "I don't care if your facial hair tickles my lips when we kiss or other parts of my body when we send Marceline to sleep early. I care about _you_ , Simon."

Simon held Betty closer to him and hugged her as he sighed. "I love you, Betty"

"I love you, my frosty hobo."

Simon laughed, caressing Betty's back and burying his face in her neck.

"Simon, remember when I said you would be a great parent?"

"Yeah, that was nice of you to say. But I think I'm more like a **_TRUE_** father for Marcy"

"Yes and I think she appreciates you almost as if you were her true dad". Betty sighed. She breathed and gathered all the air and the courage she needed to say her next words. "But even if you don't think so, there's someone in their way to make you feel like a truly good parent."

Simon's body tensed. He could guess what she was about to say. He let go of the hug and stared at her fiancé's eyes, holding her by the shoulders. "What do you mean by that?" he asked with wide eyes.

Betty took one of Simon's hands and put it in her lower abdomen, right below her belly button. "Simon… I'm pregnant."

Simon blinked repeatedly and a grin was drawn in his face. He breathed heavily in excitement as he hugged Betty again and then lifted her to spin around. They both laughed like they haven't done in weeks. Simon kissed Betty in the lips, in her cheeks, in her forehead, in every place that didn't seem inappropriate being at the open and in the daylight.

The days were getting warmer.

* * *

 **Author's note: Did you know that Adventure Time: Meltdown and Major144's Family are similar fanfics because it both had the Simon and Betty adopting Marceline and surviving the Mushroom War after her mother disappeared. Also, Marceline is 4 years old when when Simon first found her, which means that she is a toddler when the war happened, not 7 years old years. And Marceline, being so young, Marceline only had a few scarce memories of her mother, who mysteriously vanished by the time Simon Petrikov and Betty Grof found her. All that she left behind were two photos of her and Marceline together and a letter placed in Marceline's pocket mentioning Hunson and to keep Marceline safe. Before hibernating, Marceline looked up the last two pictures of her mother to cherish their memories together and hoping that she would dream about her. Which means that Marceline had only had a few memories of her and Marceline is a toddler when Marceline's mom disappeared.  
**

 **Let's talk about Hunson Abadeer. Hunson is the neglectful, stupid, and lazy biological father of Marceline and ruler of the Nightosphere. Hunson** **is a rather neglectful parent. We can see this from the original lyrics of Marceline's fry song; 'Daddy, why did you leave me, You created me, So don't you wanna see me?' At some point in the past, Hunson was separated from Marceline for a considerable period of time in the aftermath of the Mushroom War, during which she was cared for by Simon Petrikov before he was fully transformed into the Ice King. A young Marceline is seen mouthing the word "Daddy" as she cries in the flashback that concludes the Adventure Time episode "I Remember You". So I considered Simon much more of a father to Marceline than Hunson. But in Adventure Time: Meltdown and Major144's Family, Simon and Betty are more of a family to Marceline than Hunson because Hunson, like I said, is neglectful, lazy and stupid ruler of the Nightosphere who is nothing more but left his family in the wreckage world while Simon, Betty, and Peter became Marceline's adopted family.  
**

 **Peter Petrikov, is the son Simon Petrikov and Betty Grof, and a character exclusive to Adventure Time: Meltdown. Much like Marceline, Peter is half human, half wizard while Marceline is half human, half demon. Peter is mentioned in the end of Chapter 7 by Betty when he told Simon that he is going to be a father, ripping off Hunson's family because Hunson has a half human child while Simon has a half human child as well. And Peter had inherited the crown's Ice Powers.**

 **Go to Deviantart Snowflakes-owl Meltdown for more information about Peter and fanfic "Meltdown" and go to Peter Petrikov tumblr to check his existence.**

 **Please review.**


	8. Safety

**Look here is a new chapter of Meltdown by Snowflakes-Owl. And please, give some more review.**

* * *

"He's neglectful, lazy and rather idiotic but for a demon he isn't too terrible. Hunson does love my sister Marceline, after all.

 **-Peter Petrikov**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Safety**

Betty woke up when she felt a cold breeze running over the bare skin of her back. Even when Simon's skin felt usually cold to the touch, a few minutes cuddling with him made him warm again, so this cold was a rare thing. She sat up in the bed, finding the bed spot next to her empty. She rubbed her eyes, put on her slippers and her robe. She yawned as she walked towards the room across the hall, lit by the moonlight coming through the window.

"I didn't even heard him, Simey" she said as she opened the door. "What was this time? Hungry? Diaper? Night-?". She cut her words when she found the room to be empty, with no one in sight but the sleeping baby in his cradle. She examined every corner and inch of the room, but he couldn't find the father of her baby there. Betty carefully closed the door, avoiding another sleepless night.

Betty stepped down the stairs of the old house, wrecked in some places but safe and well preserved enough to live there with a family of four. She passed through the living room and then through the hallway with the fallen roof until she reached the kitchen, and from there she had access to the backyard, where she finally found the blue-ish beardy man, wearing nothing but his briefs.

"It's the first night in weeks we seem to be able to have a nice sleep and you spend it out here, alone and awake, in the cold?"

"The cold doesn't bother me, you know it" replied Simon, looking at the stars.

"But it does bother _me_. I thought you were with Peter"

Simon stopped looking up and hung down his head. "I was with him for a while, but…"

"… but?"

Simon turned to Betty with a clearly tired gaze, but also a lost one, one that showed that not only his body was exhausted. "Aren't you afraid of… me?"

"What?" said Betty with a grin, crossing her arms.

"Aren't you worried about your safety being with me? Of Marcy's safety? Of Peter's?" he stressed. "The crown could take over me any moment and-"

"That won't happen" said Betty with stern voice.

"You don't know that"

"Neither do you. Maybe we will find a cure, maybe you'll be able to resist it. We don't know how the crown works exactly, anything could happen"

"But Betty! You have seen what the crown is able to do!" he said, approaching to Betty to caress her arms. "You know what it does to me. And have you seen Peter? He-"

"He what?" said Betty, turning her soft gaze at Simon into a death stare. "What's wrong with Peter?" she asked.

"Well, you… you know… he…" he stuttered, aware of his poor choice of words. "He… he is… blue and… I… I don't know what I was trying to say. I'm sorry Betty. You should take the children and leave me, it's for the best" he said as he gave his back to Betty again.

Betty sighed. She unfolded her arms and went for a hug from behind to Simon. "I know what you are trying to say. You are afraid of having done something bad to Peter unwillingly, that maybe the crown had some sort of influence on him" she said with a soft voice. "Remember what I told you that time we got caught in the rain and we lit a fire in the chimney of your place?"

"That deer would take over the world in the next one thousand years?"

"No! Not that!" she complained with a giggle. "That I would always be by your side in a zombie apocalypse. And well, this is pretty much it. And what else have I told you since we got reunited?"

Simon sighed but drew a smile. "That you would always love me no matter what. No matter my skin, my beard or my freezing feet"

"Yeah, you keep those icicles off of me while we are sleeping. And that extends to Peter"

"The feet thing?"

"No! Well, yes, if he has a nightmare and wants to sleep with us. But I always love him, just like I love you. Blue skin, cold skin, those weird voices I hear in my head whenever he's about to cry. Whatever he is now, whatever phase he goes through in his teens, whatever he decides to be, we will always love him, won't we?"

Simon turned to face Betty and touched foreheads with her as he embraced her by the waist. "Yes. I will always love you both, my lovely redheads"

The cries of Peter from the second floor broke their moment but it didn't feel like a bitter end. They folded hands and entered in the house, ready to face whatever life put in front of them, even if it was a smelly diaper.


	9. The First Snow

**Chapter 9: The First Snow**

 _Taking place in between Chapter 7 and Chapter 8_

The sound of laughter resonated through the air. Betty sat on the ground, leaned up against a tree, as she watched Simon chase Marceline around the backyard of the abandoned house they were staying in. He could of course catch Marceline easily enough if he wanted, but he made sure he ran just fast enough to stay out of arm's reach from her.

Betty used one hand to hold the blanket she had wrapped around her, and laid the other hand on her swollen belly, rubbing it tenderly. Almost as if responding to her touch, the baby moved slightly. The cold wind blew harder around her, so she gripped the blanket tighter. Winter was on its way, but for now the weather was still nice enough for them to spend the day outside.

Betty smiled contentedly. She loved seeing such a wide, joyful grin on her fiancé's face, as they came far and few between these days. The smile seemed to take years off his face, making him look more like his old self. She wondered if Marceline truly had idea what she meant to Simon, and how much she'd helped him. She was the pure, bright light in Simon's otherwise dark world, and she had been there for him when Betty couldn't…or wasn't. Betty knew she would be forever grateful to the child. She couldn't bear to think of how Simon would be now if he had never found Marceline.

* * *

Finally, Simon caught Marceline, scooping her up in his arms. " _Gotcha!_ " He grinned from ear to ear as he started tickling her, the girl responding with shrieks of laughter.

"St-stop, Si…Simon!" she sputtered out, trying to push his hand away.

"Do…do you give up?" he asked, trying to catch his breath. Marceline was laughing too hard to answer back, so she just responded with a rapid nod of her head. Satisfied, Simon stopped tickling her, and instead hugged her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, returning the hug, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Simon spotted Betty at the corner of his eye and frowned slightly. He somehow didn't notice until just then how chilly it had gotten. Of course, he wasn't bothered by it – the cold never seemed to bother him anymore – but seeing how tightly Betty had the blanket wrapped around her made him worried. He set Marceline back down on the ground.

"Betty?" he called out. "How're you feeling? Do you need to go back inside?"

She responded with a smile and a small wave of her hand. "Don't worry, honey," she reassured him. "You two keep playing!"

"I'm okay, Simon!" Marceline chimed in, tugging on his sleeve. "I don't wanna go back in yet!" Simon gave her a smile in return and tousled her hair. He walked over to Betty and helped her to get up on her feet.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked gently, holding her hands. "This cold can't be good for the baby." He looked down at her stomach, placed a hand on it, and gently caressed it. A shadow of guilt fell over his face, as it usually did when their child was mentioned.

Betty gave him an encouraging smile. "I told you, I'm fine! Stop worrying, Simon."

Simon smiled back, but he still looked sad. "I'm always going to worry about you, princess," he said. After a moment he added, "Sorry."

Betty chuckled. She tipped her head up to give him a peck on the nose. "That's nothing to apologize for, honey," she said lightly. "You're sweet."

Suddenly, their attention turned to Marceline, who had let out a small gasp of delight. Her hand was raised above her head, pointing to the sky. She turned to them, beaming. "Look – it's snowing!"

Simon and Betty looked around them, seeing that, indeed, soft flurries of snow were falling from the sky. Betty felt Simon's body tense up beside her. She looked up at him, and saw that his eyes were wide, staring upwards. He let go of her hand, leaving his arms to hang limply at his side.

"Simon!" Betty gasped. "Simon, no!" He paid her no attention as he slowly walked forward. She exchanged worried glances with Marceline, who was backing away from him. Simon kept his eyes fixated at the sky, completely mesmerized by the snow floating gently to the ground. He held his hands out to his sides, delicately touching the snowflakes, as though he were greeting old friends.

"Isn't it beautiful?" he breathed in wonder, a small smile on his face. "Just look at it."

"S-Simon?" Marceline hesitantly called out, her voice filled with worry.

Simon's gaze turned to her, smiling strangely. "'Simon'?" he echoed with a small chuckle. "Who's Simon? That's a funny name." He voice sounded coarse and unnatural. His smile, the way he looked at Betty and Marceline, the way he carried himself…there was something unsettling about all of it. It was almost as this was a different man altogether.

Betty sucked in a sharp breath as Simon started walked towards them, the wind whipping his hair and beard around his face. Shivering, she held her body tightly against the cold. Simon, however, looked completely unbothered by the biting wind. Betty saw that his focus was still on Marceline, so she slowly started to move toward her.

"Let's go play in the snow!" Simon said to Marceline. He spoke kindly, but there was an eerie, child-like quality to his voice. He offered his hand out to the girl. "C'mon, Gunter, let's go play! What're you waiting for?" As he drew nearer to her, Marceline shrank away, letting out a small whimper. She glanced behind at Betty, then ran to hide behind her. Betty placed a protective hand on the child, holding her other hand out toward Simon defensively.

"Simon," she said simply, a hint of warning in her voice. Simon giggled.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" he asked, his smile unwavering. "I'm the king. You know that!" His eyes darted around back and forth between Marceline and Betty, and as he finally registered the anxious looks on their faces, his smile faded.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "What are you two looking at me like that for?"

Betty felt Marceline's grip on the blanket around her tighten. "H-he's scaring me, Betty," Marceline said in a small voice.

"I know, sweetie," Betty replied. Keeping her eyes on Simon, who eyed them both curiously, she knelt down beside Marceline. "Listen, I want you to go back inside, okay?"

"But, Betty—" Marceline began, but she was silenced by a quick, sharp glance from her.

Betty gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "It's going to be okay – just get in the house, Marceline. Do as I say," she whispered, rising back up. Marceline didn't answer, but cast a nervous glance back at Simon, afraid to meet his gaze. His eyes were on her as she slowly backed away, then darted away towards the house.

* * *

"Where's Gunter going?" he asked Betty.

"Marceline," she corrected him. "Her name is Marceline, Simon. You know that!"

Simon narrowed his eyes at her. "Stop calling me that!" he said, his tone suddenly dark.

Betty's jaw set. She tried to keep her body from shaking as she approached Simon, holding the blanket tightly around her. "No," she said firmly, looking him in the eye. "No, I won't, because that's your name, Simon Petrikov!" She walked closer to him, never breaking eye contact, until they were just a couple of feet from each other.

Simon's eyes fell on Betty's stomach, which she had instinctively put her hand on. "Simon, please…" she implored him, "please, listen to my voice, sweetie. Come back to us. Remember us. Remember your family, Simon; myself, Marceline, and your baby." She took Simon's hand and gingerly placed it flat against her stomach. "Our baby needs you, Simon. He needs his daddy."

Simon lifted his face, his milky white eyes meeting with her green eyes. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "My…my name is—"

"Simon Petrikov," Betty said in a weak voice. "That's your name. It's always been your name." Her hands shook as they clung to his cold hand. "You're the kindest, most selfless person I've ever known. You…you're the man who rescued that little girl, and gave her a family. You did that!"

Betty couldn't control herself anymore. In spite of herself, tears welled up in her eyes and streaked down her face. She reached up and tenderly caressed his cheek. His eyes were on her, but his expressionless face gave nothing away.

"It was you, Simon, who loved me, and asked me to marry you. You were so nervous that you almost dropped the ring!" Betty let out a small laugh at the memory. "You…you never stopped loving me, not even when I…I abandoned you." She started to cry harder. "I failed you, Simon. I left when you n-needed me the most! I'm so, so sorry… I…was such a coward. If I didn't leave, if I had stayed, then maybe…maybe I could've helped you. Maybe you'd still be…"

Betty sniffed and wiped her eyes with her hand, struggling to regain her composure. She looked into Simon's face, desperately looking for some flicker of recognition in his blank eyes. She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him, letting the blanket fall to the ground. She shivered from the cold coming from both the air and from Simon's body, but she couldn't pull away now.

"I love you, Simon," she whispered, her red hair mingling with his white hair. "Hear my voice – _I love you_ … I've failed you once, but I swear to you I'll never fail you again. I will never stop fighting for you, my love. I can't lose you again. So please, please come back to me." Her trembling hands gripped his suit jacket. "Please…"

There was a long moment of silence. Betty clung to Simon, sobbing softly. Suddenly, she felt gentle hands embracing her.

"I never blamed you for a second, Betty," she heard him whisper into her hair. "Thanks for not giving up on me."

Betty's heart leapt at the sound of his voice. "Simon!" she gasped, looking up at him. "Oh, Simon, thank goodness!" She hugged him tighter, but after a moment he pulled himself away.

"We need to get you inside," he said, concerned. He knelt down to pick up the blanket. "You're freezing."

This time she nodded in agreement, but remained smiling. She held his face in her hands, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him as the snow continued to fall around them.

* * *

 **Adventure Time: Meltdown  
**

 **Page 1  
**

 **Betty** : Simon, I'm glad we found this cabin.

 **Simon:** Now we can be safe. Do you want a banana?

 **Betty:** I'm kinda sick of bananas, they make me nauseus, but we have nothing else to eat.

 **Simon:** I too would like to eat something else, but bananas are the only ones that resist radiation.

 **Betty:** I think all food is making me nauseus. Maybe I'm… you know?

 **Simon:** Gaining weight?

 **Page 2**

 **Betty:** I'm thinner than before, love.

 **Simon:** Then what's the problem?

 **Betty:** Well, I think…

 **Betty:** I think you made me a baby.

 **Simon:** …..

 **Simon:** You got me, Betty! Nice joke.

 **Betty:** Simon, I haven't had my period in 3 months!

Page 3

 **Simon:** Are you serious…?

 **Betty:** Completely. You're going to be a father.

 **Simon:** Our baby will be born in the wreckage.

 **Simon:** Listen Betty, we have to be the best parents so our child-children can be happy in this world.

 **Betty:** We'll do it for Marcy and the baby!

 **Simon:** That's good. Pfff, I'll be the first blue dad in the world.

 **Betty:** Of course, Simey. Now come over here and kiss me.

page 4

 **Betty:** Marcy! we thought you were asleep!

 **Simon:** It's not what it seems!

 **Marcy:** Kiss addicts.

 **Marcy:** Are you making me a little sibling?

 **Simon and Betty:** ….

 **Simon:** Yes.

 **Marcy:** Yay!

 **Betty:** Twins wouldn't be a bad idea. Just kidding.

 **Simon** : One at a time, love.


	10. Lullaby

**Chapter 10: Lullaby  
**

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own Adventure Time. This is just a story for fun.

* * *

(I wanna say thank you for reading this fanfic because this fanfic has reached 1,000 views. Also, this story is kinda short, so enjoy it).

Her voice was so pretty.

Perhaps not what one would call perfect, but all the more lovely to him even with a minor flaw or two. Smooth, sweet, and golden as honey, softly tinged with something so loving and motherly that he could neither place nor describe it. Betty didn't sing often, but when she did, Simon never took it for granted.

He rolled over in his sleeping bag, hesitant to leave its warmth, then blinked the lingering sleep from his weighted eyelids and sat up to look over at the source of the gentle melody. Betty had moved several paces away from their makeshift campsite, having wanted to keep from disturbing the others' rest. Little Peter was cradled in her arms, fussing while she gently walked back and rocked him, still singing in an attempt to calm him down. Simon remained still for a moment, just watching and listening to her from afar.

 _"…when the blazing sun is gone, when he nothing shines upon, then you show your little light, twinkle twinkle all the night…"_

Soon, Peter's soft fretting grew faint, his milky eyes blinking away tears as he stared up at his mother's face. The crying had faded into a few sniffles, then entirely vanished. Betty let out a relieved, gentle breath, then slowly sank down to sit on a fallen log and rest her exhausted body. Silence reigned over them all for a long moment, seeming to crystallize the crisp night air and causing Simon to catch his breath for fear or disturbing it. There wasn't so much as a wisp of a mournful wind to rustle the branches of the trees, and the crickets of summer had long since been silenced by war. It was, in a way, sacred.

Movement broke the spell, the motion of Betty's hand being somehow jarring despite how slow and mild it was. She brushed her finger against her sleeping son's cheek with a feather's touch, a tender, tired smile gracing her weary face. Snapping out of his own trance and taking great care to not wake Marceline, Simon got up and tiptoed cautiously around their sleeping camp, rolling out the stiffness in his shoulders as he went over.

Betty visibly flushed when she realized that he was up and had likely been listening the whole time, but didn't let her slight embarrassment get the best of her. Greeting him with a silent smile and a finger pressed over her lips, Betty scooted over to make room for him to sit down next to her. Peter was still in her arms, the faint, sighing noises of his peaceful breathing being very much reassuring.

Letting out a soft sigh, Betty leaned into Simon's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her, both of them relishing in the quiet, calm closeness.


	11. Nightmare

**Chapter 11: Nightmare**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Adventure Time. This story is for fun.

 _Taking place after Chapter 7  
_

The peaceful silence was disturbed by the sound of Simon muttering in his sleep. Betty's eyes fluttered open, feeling her fiancé's body tossing around beside her.

"Simon?" she said sleepily. She carefully unzipped her sleeping bag so she could prop herself up on her elbow. Simon was having a nightmare, which was something she was used to by now. She couldn't make out what he was saying, but he sounded scared. She placed her hand on his shoulder and shook him gently.

"Simon, honey, wake up," she said softly. She shook him again. "Simon…"

Simon's eyes snapped open, and he shot up and looked around him, panicking. "Marcy!" he choked out. "Marcy, where is she? Where's Marcy?!"

Betty reached over and took his hand, using her other hand to stroke his hair soothingly. "Simon… Simon, honey, it's okay," she said gently. "Calm down, you just had another nightmare."

Simon's head jerked toward her, his face still full of terror. As Betty looked into his eyes, she saw that he didn't recognize her. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"She's safe," Betty reassured him, indicating over to her right. "She's still asleep." Simon's gaze followed where she pointed, and saw Marceline laying in her sleeping bag a few feet away from them. He looked relieved, and his panicked breaths eased back to normal.

"Thank God," he whispered, rubbing his eyes.

Betty creased her brow with worry. She touched Simon's face, but he flinched away from her. She then grabbed his face with her hands, pulling it towards her. He tried to jerk away, annoyed.

"Let me go!" he hissed, but she patiently held him as he squirmed.

"Look at me," she said firmly. He grabbed her hands, but she moved forward and pressed her lips to his. Simon made a surprised noise in her mouth. After a few moments she pulled away from him, looking him straight in the face. "Simon Petrikov, look at me. Do you know who I am?"

He blinked, confused. Soon after, however, his mind seemed to clear, and the confusion on his face turned to pain.

"Yes," he whispered guiltily. "Yes, I do. Y-you're my…my Betty. You're my princess."

"That's right!" she said with relief, feeling a small weight lift off her chest. "I'm your Betty, and you're my Simon." She held his hand to her face, kissing it. She looked up to see tears in his eyes.

"Oh, honey!" she gasped. "Simon, listen, it's okay." But he turned away, hanging his head in shame.

"It's not…it's _not_ okay, Betty," he said, covering his face. "I'm so…I'm so s-sorry! Betty, I'm sorry…"

Betty let out a small sigh. She brushed his hair out of his face and kissed him on the cheek. "Oh, Simon… I'm not mad," she soothed. "You don't need to apologize. It wasn't your fault." She pulled down his hands, wiped off his tears with her thumb, and kissed him again.

Simon slowly turned to her, and in his face Betty could see how worn and tired he suddenly looked. His eyes, which used to be so warm and kind, now looked dull and lifeless. Dark bags hung under his eyes from lack of sleep, which she could attest to. Most mornings, he was almost always awake before her or Marceline. Though he would always greet them with a smile, Betty knew it was forced.

"The dream…" she said uncertainly, smoothing his hair, "do you want to talk about it?" His only reply was a small shake of his head, not meeting her eyes. His eyebrows furrowed, and she could see that he was lost in thought, so she waited patiently.

Simon opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. Instead, he reached for her hand and held it to his face, feeling her warmth. His eyes met with hers, and he saw her smile. Her smile was warm and inviting, so unlike his, and he saw in her eyes how much she loved him. He couldn't fathom how she could still be in love with something like him, and he didn't know how much of her affection was sincere, or was simply out of pity, but he was grateful nonetheless.

Finally, Simon found the words he had to tell her. "Betty, listen. I…I'm going to need you to promise me something, okay? It's very important."

Betty looked puzzled, but she nodded in reply, so Simon continued, "I'm not… You know I'm not…well, stable." He let out a bitter laugh despite himself. His eyes fell on Marceline, who was still sound asleep, completely unaware of what was happening around her. "Marcy…she's still so young. She needs someone to take care of her. Someone dependable."

Betty's heart sank. She knew what Simon was going to ask of her, so she touched her hand to his lips to silence him. "Simon, stop," she said gently. "Don't you dare talk like that, not yet."

Simon gazed back at her pleadingly. He took her hand and held it. "No, Betty, I need to say this," he said, his voice more firm. "When the time comes…when I'm no longer safe for Marcy to be around, I need to know that you'll take her and get far away from me. No matter what it means for me, her safety comes first. I'm counting on you to protect her. I need you to swear to me you'll do that, Betty!"

She was silent for a long moment. Betty could see that his words had sparked a strong determination in his tired eyes. There was only one reply she could give him.

"Okay," she said, squeezing his hand. "I promise, Simon. But…" She leaned forward and kissed him. After a moment he returned the kiss, caressing her cheek.

When she pulled away, Betty added, "It's not going to go that far, Simon, do you hear me? We can't let it. So don't you ever lose hope, okay, sweetheart?"

Simon nodded. "I won't," he said softly. "I love you, Betty."

Betty smiled. "I love you, too." She wrapped her arms around Simon and hugged him, hoping he didn't notice the fear in her eyes.

* * *

 **Author's note: Want to see more Meltdown AU. Then go to my deviantart account at "CommanderMs", go check it out.  
**


	12. What's His Name

**Chapter 12: What in the Name  
**

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Adventure Time. This story is for fun.

Simon let out a sigh and laid his head on Betty's lap. "I'm stumped honey…"

"Now now we have a few months… plenty of time to think of a name."

Betty bent down and kissed Simon's forehead. "You're so cute when you're flustered."

A sudden rustling in the bushes brought the two to their feet. Simon silently reached for the crown, but was stopped by Betty, who gave him a reassuring look. A small, dirty figure emerged from the brush.

"RAWR I'M A MONSTER!"

"Marceline! What have we told you about sneaking up on us like that!" scolded Simon.

"That you might accidentally turn me into a popsicle…" Marcy's tone had saddened.

"Hey now, it's alright. How about we get you cleaned up."

"Okay, I can be a shark! Or maybe you could be, your nose could be the dorsal fin." Marceline giggled at her own joke. Simon and Betty joined in.

After Marceline's bath, the three of them sat down around their campfire and had dinner.

"What is this Simon?" mused Betty.

"It's a Petrikov family recipe: breadballs in a milk-sauce." Marcy played with her food, a question lingering in her mind.

"Hey Simon, what are you going to name the baby?"

"Well… I don't know yet sweetie. A name is a very important thing, and it takes a lot of thought to think of one."

"Can I name the baby?" inquired Marcy. "I promise you'll like it!"

Betty smiled. "It wouldn't hurt to hear your suggestion."

Marceline thought long and hard, her face lit up with inspiration. "Peter. Peter Petrikov."

Simon and Betty looked at each other, then at Marcy, then back at each other. Small tears welled up in Betty's eyes. "That's a lovely name. Our little Peter…"

"What if it's a girl?" asked Simon.

Again Marcy gave it some thought. "Then… Rachael!"

Simon chuckled. "Rachael Petrikov eh? Sounds like a swell name."

* * *

 **Author's note: Want to see more Meltdown AU. Then go to my deviantart account at "CommanderMs", go check it out.  
**


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